Statement Following ECB Update
29 May 2020
On behalf of the Club, and further to yesterday’s (Thurs 28 May) announcement from the England & Wales Cricket Board, including that no domestic professional cricket would be played before August, we would like to send an update to our members, supporters, sponsors and partners on our 2020 cricket season. As ever, we hope that you and your friends and family are all well.
Firstly, we would like to once again acknowledge the sad passing of Tony Brown, a true hero of the Club, a lovely man and a genuine leader who will be sorely missed by all, both inside and outside of the game. We will celebrate his life and time at Gloucestershire in due course when we are able to all meet up again and our thoughts remain with his family and loved ones.
You will have seen yesterday the announcement from the ECB to postpone domestic cricket until the start of August, a decision which once again we wholeheartedly support as a Club. The ECB’s ambition remains to host domestic men's and women's cricket across England and Wales later this summer, and everyone at Gloucestershire Cricket is working very hard towards playing and delivering cricket this year. Understandably we will only do this when we are sure that we can do so in the safest and most secure way for all of our stakeholders and supporters.
As you would have seen last week, we reluctantly had to announce the cancellation of this season’s Cheltenham Festival and we would like to thank you all for the support and understanding that you have all shown in us making this decision. Many of you have been in touch to share memories of the Festival and why it is such an important part of your summers; some have even chosen not to opt for a ticket refund and keep the money in the Club – thank you all.
We also promised our 2020 members that we would be getting in touch regarding a more general ‘membership’ update and today, as part of our 150th anniversary fundraising we’ve asked them to consider donating their 2020 membership subscriptions to the Club. In doing so, they will also automatically qualify as an ‘Anniversary Member’ for 2021, at a discounted rate – a unique category for the year – and the members name will be included on a commemorative ‘150’ plaque to be installed at the Bristol County Ground in April 2021.
This invitation has been extended to all members, life, annual and honorary but if, as a member, or supporter you would like to make a separate donation to the Club then this is also very welcome – simply email membership@glosccc.co.uk and we will send you payment options. Anything our supporters are willing to contribute will be much appreciated in our continued desire to finance the Club and maintain and improve facilities in what is now a much changed economic landscape for the Club and the game as a whole.
We know this is a big ask at what is a difficult and uncertain time for us all; we have no expectations but anything you can do is very much appreciated.
If you have any questions about this scheme or would like to talk to someone at the Club directly, please don’t hesitate to contact us on membership@glosccc.co.uk or 0117 910 8010.
It is also fantastic news that James Bracey, after a successful winter with the England Lions has been chosen to be part of an England “training group” and he will resume his training next week, ably supported by Richard Dawson and also David Bartlett, our Head of Medical. We wish James all the best with this return to action and look forward to seeing his exciting career kick on again.
Once again we would like to thank you all for your patience and support throughout this season, one we have all long been looking forward to.
Of course, if you have any specific enquiries, you may contact Club offices via the tickets@glosccc.co.uk, membership@glosccc.co.uk or hospitality@glosccc.co.uk email addresses.
With best wishes,
Will and John
